This invention relates to the field of paint coatings, especially paint coating on architectural surfaces, and the application, preservation, and removal of such paint coatings.
The references cited in this description are not admitted to be prior art to the present invention, but are provided solely to assist the understanding of the reader.
Black in U.S. Pat. No. 5,387,434 described the application of an easily removable aqueous wax emulsion onto architectural surfaces to protect these surfaces against damage by graffiti paint and ink. The wax coating of Black is waterproof, and it is intended to function as a temporary protective coating, being conveniently removed together with any graffiti markings, using pressurized hot water.
Similarly, Hereth et al. in U.S. Pat. No. 4,315,957 describe the use of aqueous emulsions of hydrocarbon wax or other wax, mixed with an alkaline agent and an emulsifier to form a temporary protective wax coating on a metal or lacquered surface, in which the coating is easily removable with steam/hot water.
Similarly, Kawabata in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,594,109 and 5,049,186 describes water-based wax emulsions which can be applied onto a painted or otherwise coated surface of a product to provide temporary protection for the coated surface until the product is sold.
Gustafson in U.S. Pat. No. 4,046,934 describes the use of a wax emulsion as a hydrophobic substance applied over a "crackled", i.e., cracked and discontinuous, paint surface on a fibrous building material to aid in shedding water from the surface of the building material. The wax emulsion produces a discontinuous, but water-resistant wax coating on the outer surface of a "crackled" water-base paint. The discontinuous wax coating results from the wax particles being negatively charged "so as to repel each other and to be oriented in mutual spaced relationship . . . and form therebetween interstices or cracks 5 through which vapour may pass", as shown in FIG. 2, items 4 and 5 of the patent. The wax emulsion is preferably applied while the water-based paint is still wet following paint application.
Sejournant in U.S. Pat. No. 4,349,586 describes application of a microcrystalline wax and a silicone oil dissolved in an organic solvent, after an initial application of a water-borne vegetable-based or microcrystalline wax, to protect walls and other surfaces against bill-posting, penetration by graffiti, and adherence of polluting agents.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,773,091, Perlman and Black describe the addition of UV-protective agents and antioxidants to the wax component of aqueous wax emulsions to provide more durable and long-lasting protective wax coatings for resisting not only graffiti, but also environmental soiling in general.
The use of some outdoor preservative coatings and waterproofing liquid treatments which may contain wax for unpainted wood has been described. For example, Parker in U.S. Pat. No. 4,323,602 describes a water repellent wood preservative, in which a water-borne paraffin wax emulsion is combined with a fungicide. Another wood preservative known as Zar Clear Wood Sealer, is manufactured by the United Gilsonite Laboratories (Scranton, Pa.). It also incorporates a wax constituent, and is intended for use on exterior unpainted and unstained wooden surfaces.
The combining of wax coatings and paint coatings is usually considered undesirable. Directions for applying most exterior and interior paint products instruct the user to remove all traces of oil and wax from a surface before painting. Similarly, addition of a wax coating to an existing painted surface would be expected to interfere with subsequent painting or restoration of the architectural surface. In fact, the use of an aqueous wax emulsion as an anti-graffiti coating by Black in U.S. Pat. No. 5,387,434, and by Perlman and Black in U.S. Pat. No. 5,773,091, is intended to prevent unwanted graffiti paint from permanently adhering to a painted or unpainted surface.